Innocence

"Eh?!! Liyana has become the Elf Queen?"

When she heard this news from Xia Lun, Mo Lini felt a wave of dizziness, and the expression on her face clearly slipped out of her control.

"Crash—"

Almost at the exact same moment, the plate in Joli's hands slipped and shattered into pieces on the floor.

"Ah... Aunt Liyana... became the Elf Queen?" Joli was also plunged into shock, his mind completely freezing.

Lian Na shuffled over with quick, small steps and began to help sweep up the broken plate fragments at Joli's feet.

"Sorry, Miss Lian Na... I've troubled you." Joli finally snapped out of his daze, realizing his loss of composure and feeling embarrassed by his clumsiness.

"It's no problem, I am the maid here, after all!" Lian Na puffed out her small, undeveloped chest with a hint of pride. Although Liyana was already a legend among the elves... now that she had become the queen, didn't that mean she herself got a promotion as a maid?

Yeah, a maid whose archery skills are better than my own... Joli muttered in his heart.

Yorid had already started teaching Lian Na bow-combat arts.

As the name suggested, bow-combat was a close-quarters fighting technique using a longbow as a weapon, ensuring that an archer wouldn't be completely defenseless if an enemy got too close.

Ever since discovering Lian Na's talent, Yorid had taken a great interest in her... and upon Sera's suggestion, he had already taken her in as his adopted daughter.

Then Lian Na should be considered his adopted sister.

For some reason, Joli breathed a sigh of relief, an inexplicable sense of liberation spreading within him. With Lian Na around, his parents probably wouldn't rush him to get married and have kids anymore... probably.

"Then does that mean Liyana won't be able to travel... wait, adventure with us anymore?" Mo Lini suddenly realized a very important issue.

She abruptly realized what Liyana's potential absence would mean.

Although Liyana often teased her, there was no denying that the elf was the person she talked to the most. If she lost her... her future days probably wouldn't be very enjoyable.

Aina's attention was almost entirely focused on Xia Lun, and the two always had endless whispers for each other. Mr. Joli would likely return to the village when the time came, and Mr. Musen spent most of his time in the book... If Liyana wasn't there, she would only have the slime, Little Lan, to talk to.

Moreover, Little Lan couldn't even speak and couldn't communicate with her; it only made bubbling noises, and who knew if it could even understand what she said.

"It seems tomorrow is Liyana's coronation ceremony to become the queen," Xia Lun added casually, his tone as flat as if he were discussing tomorrow's weather.

"Ah, she's really going to do it? So soon?" Mo Lini's astonishment blurted out. That cheeky Liyana suddenly becoming the Elf Queen was such a massive shift that it was hard to digest... Mo Lini still felt a wave of unreality.

"After all, the position of the Elf Queen has been vacant for nearly a century," Yorid said as he walked out of the kitchen carrying steaming, fragrant food.

Mo Lini couldn't help but feel that letting Liyana be the queen might spell the end for the elves.

Mo Lini's gaze fell on the hearty dinner before her; Madam Sera's cooking was as mouth-watering as ever.

Mo Lini picked up her knife and fork.

Whatever, what's done is done. Let's eat first.

...

"Be careful! Idiot, are you trying to give Joli another little brother or sister?" Sera pushed her husband away with effort, her face flushed red.

Yorid asked, "Is that a bad thing?"

Sera paused slightly, thinking for a moment before replying, "I suppose it wouldn't be the worst thing."

"Then we'll have to work hard. Without a few years of effort, it won't be easy to conceive," Yorid said.

A moment later.

The two lay peacefully in bed, Yorid's arm serving as a pillow for his wife.

"Yorid, you must know the identities of those two, right?" Sera suddenly turned on her side and asked Yorid.

She was naturally referring to Xia Lun and Aina.

Previously, when Sera was at home, she had seen her own father treating them with the utmost respect.

Seeing them again here at Yorid's place, and even learning they were temporarily staying here, had truly shocked Sera.

"Ah, well, Xia Lun and I have known each other since we were kids." Yorid nodded. "He's like a younger brother to me, which makes Aina my sister-in-law."

"Those two are figures of legend! How can you have such a mild reaction?" Sera pinched Yorid's arm.

Before she and Yorid got married, Xia Lun had already passed away, so she had never met those two.

"How should I react?" Yorid asked in return.

"I don't know, but I feel like you could be a bit more proud," Sera sighed. "A Hero... to think such an existence is our relative."

"They are them, and I am me. I just need to live my own life well, and I don't need to rely on them for anything," Yorid said calmly.

"How admirable." Sera planted a kiss on her husband's cheek.

"Let's sleep."

Yorid pulled the covers up.

While things quieted down on this side, the other side was still far from peaceful.

"Xia... Xia..."

Aina's small mouth was wide open, her breathing ragged, and her eyes overflowed with love.

Xia Lun looked at the scene before him and suddenly felt the urge to slip his fingers into Aina's mouth... It might be fine now, but he had a feeling the Demon Lord would settle the score with him later.

Better not.

Besides, compared to Aina's cheeks, there were softer parts to caress.

After tensing up like a bowstring, her body went limp and collapsed softly against Xia Lun.

"Aina, your acting skills are simply amazing," Xia Lun praised with a half-smile. "If you were to act in a play, you would definitely be the brightest star in the theater."

"O... Of course." Aina wiped the sweat from her face onto Xia Lun's chest. "After all, I am the Demon Lord."

"Mhm, and I am a towel." Xia Lun smoothed out the sweat Aina had wiped on his chest, then brought his hand to his nose and sniffed.

It didn't smell like much of anything.

Then, Xia Lun met Aina's rather strange gaze.

Xia Lun abandoned his idea of tasting it with his tongue.

"Xia Lun, I feel like you're getting more and more perverted," Aina narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing her husband.

"Is that so? You too, Aina."

Aina shook her head. "We can't keep going on like this... I feel like someone as innocent as me is going to be corrupted by you."

"Pfft... Hahaha..." Xia Lun laughed so hard his chest heaved continuously, making Aina, who was lying on top of it, feel a bit uncomfortable.

"What are you laughing at, Xia Lun?" Aina patted Xia Lun's cheek. "Don't you think so?"

"Of course... Whatever you say goes, my Demon Lord."